How to boost productivity with audio to text tools

Explore high-quality technologies can boost productivity at the office and automate our everyday in the best possible way.

One of the most obvious applications of speech-to-text technology is the ability to give commands to a computer by talking into a microphone. Information can now be entered via voice recognition in addition to the traditional keyboard and mouse methods. Let's see how these new, high-quality technologies can boost productivity at the office and automate our everyday in the best possible way.

What is audio to text technology?

Speech recognition, also known as speech to text, is the technology that allows a computer to decipher human speech and turn it into text. Even when spoken clearly, the vocabulary of even the most basic speech recognition software can be quite small. Modern computers can process human speech in various languages and with a wide range of accents. Audio to text tools (aka transcription) are built on the foundation of machine learning and speech recognition software, which can significantly increase productivity in the workplace and in other contexts where transcription is useful. The speech recognition field draws on linguistics, computer science, and computer engineering studies. Today's smartphones and text-based software often include built-in speech recognition features that make operating the device easier or even hands-free. High speech recognition accuracy levels are already available with the introduction of natural language processing and machine learning-powered devices and apps like Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant, or Siri.

Are speech recognition and voice recognition the same thing?

Speech recognition and voice recognition are not the same and shouldn’t be confused:

• Speech recognition is used to recognize words in spoken language.
• Voice recognition is a biometric technology used to identify an individual's voice.

The software algorithms that transform speech into text are taught to recognize a wide variety of dialects, accents, languages, and speaking styles. The software also detaches the sound of people talking from any ambient noise that may be present. Speech recognition systems use two types of models:

• Acoustic models. They symbolize the connection between discrete verbal elements and acoustic impulses.
• Language models. To differentiate between words that are spelt similarly but sound different, this method uses sound patterns to match words together.

What are the benefits of audio to text tool use?

According to this Stanford study, the speech-to-text method is three times faster than typing, making it one of the most popular AI options in the modern world. Here are some of the benefits and areas recorded audio comes in handy:

• Education. Language learning is assisted by voice recognition software. The program analyses the user's voice and voice commands and provides feedback on how to improve pronunciation.
• Saving time. Using audio-to-text is synonymous with spending less time (if any!) taking notes and writing things down. Speech recognition technology works perfectly for pretty much any industry, from businesspeople stuck at meetings for hours on end to teachers, bloggers, journalists, therapists, and others. Having speechnotes ready in an accurate audio format at the end of every meeting is a fantastic benefit for everyone’s workflow.
• Customer service. In response to customer questions, automated voice assistants can supply additional information.
• Healthcare. Employing speech recognition software, doctors may instantly transcribe notes into patient files.
• Disability assistance. A person with a hearing impairment can nonetheless follow conversations thanks to speech recognition software and closed captioning. Those who are physically unable to type are still able to use computers by giving commands via a microphone instead.
• Court reporting. Using human transcribers when using software to record courtroom hearings is no longer necessary.
• Emotion recognition. Using audio-to-text software allows for deducting the speaker's emotional state from the speaker's voice. When combined with sentiment analysis, it's possible to learn how a customer really feels about a given service or item.
• Hands-free communication. Hands-free voice controls are becoming increasingly popular among drivers, and it’s almost unimaginable that there are those not using them. These refer to devices such as phones, radios, and GPS systems.

Top 5 transcription tools you want to try

In today's digital age, transcription is a useful ability. It may be used to document virtually anything, make content more easily accessible online, and boost search engine optimization. If you have the time to do it yourself, there are many excellent choices that will yield positive outcomes. We tested five different free transcription programs and grouped them here.

1. Alice Transcription

Alice markets itself to journalists by offering transcription services. While other services keep your transcripts (with or without a time limit) and enable you to make changes to them in real-time, Alice provides you with both the audio file and the transcript through email and then uploads them to your Google Drive. Alice is a pay-as-you-go service, charging $9.99 for one or two hours of listening time, $4.99 per hour for 20 hours, and $2.99 per hour for 100 hours. The first 60 minutes are free and can be used with the iOS app for Apple users; unfortunately, an Android version is not yet available.

2. Otter

Otter is used for transcribing by many reputable companies, including Zoom, Dropbox, and IBM. You can capture audio from a mobile device or computer browser (Chrome browser preferably) and have it transcribed instantly. Instead of offering just plain transcription, it can also add speaker ID, notes, photos, and keywords. Meaning, you won't need to fiddle with extra third-party tools for easy enhancements. One way to work together on transcriptions is to form a group and invite others to join. Once you sign up, Otter treats you to 600 minutes of free transcription to work with.

3. Google Doc’s Voice Typing

Convert speech to text with precision using an API backed by Google's cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) research and development. New users can start using Speech-to-Text with $300 in free credits. Every month, all accounts get 60 free minutes of audio transcription and analysis time. Google Doc’s Voice Typing is recognized for:

• Domain-specific models
• Easily compare quality
• Speech-to-text on-prem
• Speech on-device

Whether you’ve got an iPhone or Android, you’re good to go - as long as you have a stable internet connection.

4. Nuance Dragon

Nuance is a versatile software that may serve as either a speech-to-text converter or a transcriber, depending on the version you choose. There are options for civilians, experts, law enforcement, and others. You can use just your voice to operate anything, making it a fantastic time-saving tool. You can simply dictate commands into a microphone, and it will immediately carry them out. With its assistance, you can make professional-quality papers quickly and easily.

5. Wordcab

Wordcab is a meeting summarizer with an easy-to-use interface and a scalable API that automatically summarizes sales calls and meetings. They find what they're looking for using the transcripts and summaries that can be navigated interactively. To keep the emphasis on the team rather than the paperwork, it records all of their discussions in meeting minutes that sound natural. Wordcab can import podcasts, voice recordings, YouTube videos, and more. Quickly and easily create meeting summaries and distribute them to remote attendees. It can also upload audio files, transcribe them to text, and generate a summary automatically.

How can these tools be used?

This technology can transcribe audio faster than a human can, so it will never forget what was discussed in the meeting. In fact, one might make the case that audio recordings ought to be the default method of documentation for corporate gatherings. Instead of depending on a single person's recollection or stale handouts, you can access up-to-date and comprehensive data. You can use audio to text software for anything from transcribing lectures, notes, text messages, and interviews to recording meetings, calls, etc.

Audio to text & other speech-related technology

Aside from audio-to-text AI, there are other forms of speech-related tools you can use for your work, everyday interactions outside of work or if you or your loved one needs assistance reading, speaking, or listening. Speechify is a top-tier voice tool that works with a wide variety of operating systems and devices, including Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux, Microsoft, and more. When comparing Speechify's text-to-speech to alternatives, it becomes clear that it excels in reviewing social media posts, listening to audiobooks, and reading academic papers. In addition to providing voices in over 15 languages, Speechify's library of artificial intelligence voices includes over 30 voices that sound completely human. Its narrators' authentic-sounding voices can be licensed for use in commercials, podcasts, and anything else that needs a voice. The program can also scan in books or other written text and convert it to audio using optical character recognition technology. Using the app's camera, readers may hear the text they photographed and have it read aloud. Try Speechify for a fantastic text to speech experience.